Patience-Maximus Award – New Member
Posted by Charlie Davenport | Posted in Chapters, Chorus, Leadership, Members, Membership growth, Quartetting, Run your chapter, Uncategorized | Posted on May 6, 2009, 8:47 AM
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Recently I sent an email to all the men who joined the Society in the first quarter of 2008, asking for comments about their first year in barbershopping. The following is one of many replies.
My first year as a Barbershopper (Dual Snowbird)
When I entered the practice room I was asked “What Part do you sing, “lead?” Having never sung barbershop I innocently said that I thought my voice was bass/baritone. Well bells started ringing, trumpets sounded. and someone said “we have a new Bari” The room then went dead silent . They were all waiting to see if I would run, which I didn’t do since I hadn’t heard all the baritone stories yet.
I was then placed between a gentleman with 30 years baritone experience and another who immediately told me he had been singing lead for 25 years, switched to baritone a year ago and couldn’t sing one song as a Bari. With this encouraging comment behind me, I set out to learn the Bari part for a new song the chorus was working on.
Leaning in close to the 30 year man and following the trend of the notes. I don’t read music, but I soon realized that what he was singing was just that – notes! There was no melody. It didn’t sound like music. In fact it sounded like anti-music. It was much later that I found out that they were the notes that none of the other parts wanted.
However, I persisted and managed to get a few songs off the paper, went on a few sing outs with the chorus and was having some success when it was time to go back up north, where I joined another chapter as a baritone. For reason I still don’t understand, I was virtually ignored (strike the “virtually”) by three of the four baritones in attendance that night. At sections practice I introduced myself and explained that I was new to this baritone thing and would need a little coaching. I did get their names, but no offer of assistance.
After a few weeks of this and with an annual show coming up in November,I asked the section leader for the leads if I could join them. He agreed with some enthusiasm and I have remained in the lead section ever since. Suddenly barbershop singing became fun instead of unsatisfying work. I sang in the November show, sang well, was animated, as required, and had a ball.
The next week it was back to Florida as a baritone. Suffice it to say the outcome was not a success. They were now working on an entirely new set of songs and on most nights I was the only “baritone” present. It then came time for Valentines. I put my name in figuring that since I already new the two or three songs it would just be a matter of getting together with the other three, have a few practice sessions and be ready to go by Valentines Day.
Well they didn’t put our quartet together until the 6th of February. No one was available to practice over the weekend, so on Monday (practice night) we arrived thirty minutes early. That was to be our practice, as we couldn’t find any practice time between then and the 13th, when we were to begin for real. Needless to say I messed up the thirty minute practice badly. Hell, I had never even sang in a quartet before, other than a few tags. Everyone was embarrassed, worrying how they were going to tell me that they couldn’t sing with me. I solved their problem by simply telling them that I wasn’t ready to quartet.
A week later I had to leave Florida for personal reasons, returned north and attended a couple of sessions before my wife became very ill and subsequently passed away. I plan to return to practice tonight where we are having a coaching session for stage presence and emotion. I will also be attending the Spring Convention and a one day Division Harmony College workshop. I’m looking forward to our next show in November.
My plans for next winter are up in the air. I may or may not go south and if I do I may not go back to that first southern chapter. But whatever I do, I will not sing baritone!
Signed as Charlie’s PATIENCE_MAXIMUS Award Winner for 2008!
So, the questions are: Is this man’s experience an anamoly or the norm? Was this a unique experience, or did I receive others similar to it? Could this have been your chapter?
Charlie Davenport
Shame on both chapters, especially the one in FL.
Asheville converts about 70% of our guests into members. Over the past 2 years, or so, we have lost 1 member within his first year due to our methods and programs. We had 15 guys join last year, and 4 so far in 2009.
Here is what a guest new to barbershopping experiences here on any Asheville compellingly attractive meeting night:
Whether he is brought in by a member, or not, he is greeted by 5-4 guys and is escorted to the Membership VP’s table. There he is greeted, logged in, given a nametag and a Guest Book of our repertoire.
He is then turned over to one of our directors, who tests his vocal range and recommends a part he might enjoy. He is then matched to a buddy who sings that part. We sit in parts for our meeting, so he is then surrounded by guys who sing that part. [If it is early, he will probably be taken down to sit in and listen to our Pole Cat/Quartet learning group. If he is experienced, he is invited to sing with that group, or sing some tags.]
We start and end our meetings with “Keep the Whole World Singing”. Unless he can sight read, he just get the idea of how 50 guys sound singing barbershop.
Then comes what I personally consider the most important part of our meeting for a guest…our warm-up. We take about 20 min. in all.
Stretching, breath control exercises, vocal exercises stretching the ranges of all parts; changing vowels, singleness of tone, dynamics, scales and intervals. ANYONE can do these.
Then he gets to sing “barbershop”…the simple, yet impressive, 5-chord exercise; without having to learn a single word.
We then do a little craft work, and usually work on a challenging few measures of repertoire (he usually gets the idea by now), which segues into the chorus being turned over to the Director for riser work on that song. Our guest accompanies his buddy up there, and our rehearsal starts.
I think it is important when a new guest arrives that they are given an understanding of barbershop voice parts.
Many folks say they are a baritone because that’s what their range is, not knowing what they are in for, which can prove challenging to someone without close harmony singing experience.
Most new folks don’t even know there is a part called lead. They know tenor and bass and possibly baritone from choral music.
I’m a firm believer that unless someone is experienced or demonstrates a really good ear that they would be happier at least starting on the lead or bass parts.
I agree with Bob; shame on both chapters. The key to retention is to assign a buddy, and then another, and then another if necessary. The VP M&P (that’s me) should be asking guests to sing a little (I like Happy Birthday) with a pitch pipe in hand to gauge the guests range and talking to them about music what they know, etc. Almost all of our guests start as Leads, because we can always make baris or tenors or basses out of them later. MOST IMPORTANTLY – TAKE OWNERSHIP OF YOUR GUEST OR THEY’LL GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. They came to visit you – not the other way around.
I can relate to Steve’s comment. Being a baritone in my school days I came to my first barbershop meeting saying I was a baritone to the jubilation of my director and several others. I hadn’t sang in a group for over 15 years and found over the following 3 weeks that I was like a toddler lost in an immense forest. I couldn’t find the notes and found it discouraging. At my audition the music team spotted the problem and switched me to lead, even if just for a while to get me on my feet. I was concerned that I didn’t have the range, which I was advised was pretty much the same anyway. Now, a year and a half later, I greatly enjoy singing lead, fondly poke fun at the baritones, yet have tremendous respect for what they can do. I am now a very active member, now Membership VP and do some emceeing work. If it weren’t for our very involved and selfless music team I may have left after week 3. Sure, they wanted another bari, but instead they got me!
And sure enough, my story was repeated with a new member just a couple of months ago. Again, music team handled it with poise and grace and we have a great member as a result.
I suspect my first experience wiith barbershop is similar to many. It was with a chapter in Palo Alto California. I was thirty years old, working hard clawing my way up the corporate ladder at Intel and had a lot going on in my life with three kids and all. I had sung in church choirs and had band and orchestra experience. I went a few times as a guest. They sang and then went out afterward to drink beer and sing tags til midniight. It was the most fun thing I had done in a long time. I joiined and sang for a month or so before beiing invited to be in a quartet. Now it was a twice a week event. Pretty soon, because I had some computer skills, I was asked to be treasurer for the chapter. I did that for a while before it became apparent that this can be an all consuming hobby. It was eating way more time than I had available so I quit with the idea that some day maybe this could fit in my life but much much later. Now I am 63, have a lot of tiime to devote and just love it. I wonder if there is a way to not drive away the 35 year olds with busy lives?
This ought to be in bold print in every barbershop training manual: There is no such thing as a brand new member who sings either baritone or tenor! They may THINK they do, because that’s what they sang in church choir, but church tenors are seldom asked to sing notes that require a falsetto range, and church baritones have never had to navigate the murky waters that barbershop baris inhabit. Anyone who allows them to make that mistake ought to be soundly beaten about the ears and have their pitchpipe take away!
Seriously though, putting everyone into either the lead or bass section initially is the best way to go. If, after careful testing by the director or music team, someone has the range for barbershop tenor and a real desire to try it, let them go for it, but I’m still leary about a newcomer to barbershop trying to sing baritone right off the bat.
The difference between the lead range and the baritone range is, according to BHS manuals, one note. The difference in how the parts are sing is a wide chasm! A baritone is not a lead singing different notes! Give them the opportunity to sing lead or bass for a while first, and after they have gotten more familiar with how barbershop chords work, if they are interested in giving it a try, and you can use more baris, let them take a shot.
Too many chapters probably let their need for more baris or tenors override what is best for new barbershop singers, and that’s a sad thing.
Hmmm, I’m not sure that I totally agree w/ what Rick has said; but maybe it’s just that my experience was a little different.
When I joined 10 years ago, I immediately went into the bari section, and did so with my eyes (and ears) wide open. Fortunately, there were a number of good experienced baritone singers that I could sit next to and lean on while I learned the ins and outs and that helped a lot. Plus I’d been singing chorally all my life, High school, church and usually sang second tenor there.
While I agree that becoming a baritone in BBS is a gateway to a wild and crazy world, I think that if a man has the pipes and is willing to give it a try out of the gate, let him. But if I were a section leader, I’d certainly keep my eye on him and geve a little extra care to make sure he’s not bitten off more than he can chew.
I have been an acitve member of the Westchester Chordsmen for the last thirty five years and have been president and have served on many boards and the Music team. I have been playing the tunign device for the last ten years and also sing tenor with Our Favorite Pastime quartet (registered for nineteen years). If I didn’t have this hobby I would definitely be a lost soul. Also I have attended eleven International Conventions, but sadly have no sang in any of them. Maybe Philadelphia might be our first time if the chorus makes the cut. Being a member has given me the opportunity to travel to China, Russia, England & Italy. Also to sing to Linda Baccaro on NBC televisioin and sing in the
White House, Alice Tully Hall and the 92nd Street Y.
What a great hobby.
Al Garfield
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